Age 6 Girl Named Tiny Finds Woman's $10,000 Wedding Rings at Park, Does the Right Thing
An engagement ring is a very important piece of a person’s life. It represents so many things, from the love a couple shares to how unique they are.
The standard, of course, is a diamond of some sort on a gold or silver band, but the possibilities are endless. Couples who don’t feel like a diamond suits them can opt for other gems, plain rings, tattooed rings or even no rings at all: But many women look forward to a big white rock on their finger.
That’s a lot of money to carry around on one finger, though, and rings have been known to slip off, get stolen, or otherwise disappear.
One little girl, Tiny Dutton, was at Ballantrae Community Park in Dublin, Ohio, with a friend of her mom’s named John. When she went to use the women’s restroom, she found something that caught her eye and her fancy.
A wedding band and an engagement ring. Though Tiny didn’t know how much they were worth, she knew they were show-stoppers: “I said these are some magic princess’,” she said.
John, a recovering addict, recognized them immediately as being worth something. He knew that in his former life, he would have snapped them up and pawned them off in a heartbeat, but he was a changed man.
“I told her we have to do the right thing,” he said, according to 10TV. “They’re not ours and what you do when people aren’t watching is the integrity and character your mom talks about.”
They turned them over to the Dublin police, and went on their way. Meanwhile, a mother got home from the park to realize her $10,000 ring set wasn’t on her.
“I took them off and put them in my pocket because I didn’t want to get sunscreen on them, that was my worry,” Caitlin Adkins said. Little did she know that sunscreen would be the least of her concerns that day.
When Adkins got home and noticed their absence, she began to panic. “My daughter said, ‘Mommy what’s wrong? What’s wrong?’ And I was just like, ‘Mommy can’t find her rings.’ I was trying not to worry her,” she said.
“The fact that he was able to get his money together and get these rings, there’s a sentimental value to them and I wanted to pass them down to my kids one day.”
Her husband Jake went to the park to check the bathroom, but it was after-hours and everything was locked. Then he tried the police department: Bingo!
“He called me right away and said somebody turned in rings that day,” Adkins revealed. “I was sitting in bed sobbing with the kids and when he said that, I was so happy.”
“But I had to know who that person was because I was in disbelief somebody would do that.”
It’s true that many people probably would have taken the rings for their own. Finders keepers, after all — but fortunately for Adkins, the unlikely duo who had discovered them at the park were remarkably honest.
“Just to be such a young 6-year-old girl to do something so right and to make people so happy, I think forever she’s going to carry that with her for the rest of her life,” the relieved mother and wife said.
Adkins managed to connect with Tiny, Tiny’s mother, and John, in order to express her gratitude. She had a big hug and a heartfelt thank-you for John and a shopping-spree prize for Tiny.
“Thank you so much for being so awesome!” Adkins said to the kiddo. “I kind of went crazy shopping for you, if that’s okay. I just feel like you would like this stuff and I kept on picking stuff.”
Tiny laughed in excitement as Adkins showed her what she’d bought for her. A wonderful end to a potentially devastating accident.
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